The present invention is directed to improvements to the quick-connect power tap system of the type generally disclosed by U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 465,439, filed Feb. 10, 1983. The present application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 465,439, currently pending before the Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of the aforementioned United States patent application being incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The system disclosed by Ser. No. 465,439 is directed to an electrical power tap system including a female electrical receptacle or socket adapted to be permanently mounted to a ceiling, or in a wall, and a male plug adapted to engage the female receptacle. In the preferred embodiment of the aforementioned patent application, supporting plates of both the receptacle and the plug carry corresponding live and neutral electrical contacts. The disclosed system is designed, and the electrical contacts are positioned, in such a manner that the respective contacts electrically engage by rotating the plug relative to the receptacle through arcuate slots defined in the lower supporting plate of the receptacle. When the plug is rotated through the entire angle provided by the slots in the receptacle plate, the respective live electrical contacts and neutral electrical contacts of the plug and receptacle will be automatically aligned. Any further rotation of the plug past this point of alignment is mechanically precluded by the device. Once the respective electrical contacts are aligned, axial movement of the plug away from the receptacle causes the respective contacts to firmly electrically engage. Such axial movement may be provided for, for example, by the weight of a fixture supported by the plug.
It is well known to the prior art that it is important that the ground connection be established before the live electrical contacts are engaged. Known prior art devices disclose different means for assuring that such ground connection will be established before other electrical connections are made.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved quick-connect power tap system as generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 465,439 utilizing a ground spring contact which assures that an immediate and firm ground connection will be established and maintained before the male plug is rotated relative to the female receptacle or socket to align the respective live and neutral electrical contacts supported thereon.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved quick-connect power tap system as generally disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending U.S. patent application in which a ground spring contact itself provides a resilient force to axially separate the receptacle and plug plates to assure a firm and secure engagement between the respective electrical contacts carried on those plates after the plates have been rotated so that the electrical contacts are aligned with each other.
Other objects and advantages of the present improvement will become clear from the following description of the invention.